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Meet the Board
Carmen Kew
Governor
Carmen is a third-generation professional musician; she has performed and taught as a vocalist, harpist, and violinist. She founded The Enchanted Harp in Puyallup, Washington, USA, a business specialising in harp-related retail. She was the Chairman of the Harpers’ Circle for the SeaFle and Tacoma Highland Games Associations, and Treasurer for the SeaFle Chapter of the American Harp Society. In Tennessee, she was a historic demonstrator at The Ramsay House Plantation and The Governor John Sevier Homestead. Carmen received the Detlef Mühlberger Prize (2011), the History Department Prize, and the Dissertation Prize (2013) at Oxford Brookes University. She married her (English) childhood sweetheart and is now a British citizen.
In England, she has been an Education Officer and Storyteller at Cogges Manor Farm and a storyteller at Yate Museum; a featured soloist at Kentwell Manor, Suffolk, and at churches in Oxfordshire and Sussex. She served as the Concert Mistress of the Downland Ensemble. She earned an MA in Creative Writing from the Open University in 2022. Carmen is currently pursing an MA in Vocal Performance at Chichester University; she continues to teach private music lessons. Carmen sews, spins, knits, crochets, reads, writes, tends roses, and collects cats.
Mayflower ancestors: Alden, Bradford, Brewster, Hopkins, Howland, Mullins, Soule, Standish, and Tilley.
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Contact: mayflower.smde.governor@gmail.com
William English, CBE
CDir, FIoD, CMgr, FCMI, FRGS and MSc
William is a British citizen (DoB 1962), Chartered Director and Fellow with the Institute of Directors (CDir; FIoD); a Chartered Manager (CMgr) and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI); a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS) and Master of Science (MSc) in Defence and Strategic Studies, University of Madras. English is currently an Independent Distance Learner, studying Post Graduate Diploma and Master’s Degree in Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. English had a 36-year career serving across four continents in the British Army. English worked at senior levels in cross-government policy development, strategic and operational planning and delivery. He brings considerable experience from working within multi-national organisations, including NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. English is the Owner and Chair of his family Estate in Kent; Chair (Elect) Independent Non-Executive Director (INED) of an Import/Export sustainable produce company and NED for the US Delano Kindred Board with the Europe brief. English has lead responsibility for governance and internal unity in purpose. English is married and has three adult children.
Mayflower ancestor: Richard Warren.
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Contact: mayflower.smde.depgov@gmail.com
Deputy Governor
Donna Heys
Although I was New England born and bred, I never realised I had Mayflower heritage until I began seriously to work on my family history after my husband John and I had retired to Dorset. Now a UK citizen, and Mum to two grown-up offspring, I keep extremely busy with my activities and hobbies. Apart from family history, I enjoy art, running (slowly!), horses (especially Morgans) and singing. I have been on the Broadwindsor WI committee for many years, am Volunteer Co-ordinator for the St. Mary’s Bridport parkrun core team, and have recently joined the Broadwindsor Gallery Quire.
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I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to Alina, Chris and especially Emma, for helping me get this website project off the ground. You are all absolutely amazing humans, and I love you.​
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Mayflower ancestors: Allerton, Alden, Billington, Cooke, Hopkins, Mullins, Priest, Soule, Standish, Warren.
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​Contact: mayflower.smde.secretary@gmail.com
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Secretary
Greg Geissler
Treasurer
I graduated from Maine Maritime Academy after 3 years in the US Army. I began sailing in the merchant marine, mostly on oil tankers, until the birth of my 3rd child when being away for months was too long. I then found work offshore in the North Sea on Floating Storage Production and Offloading (FPSO) so was only away for weeks and carried on doing this for the next 25 years, finishing up in west Africa off the coast of Equatorial Guinea.
A couple years ago my wife and I decided to change our lifestyle while we could and took semi-retirement. The last couple of summers we worked as Campsite Wardens in the Lake District and in the winter I become Santa Claus for the season at a few venues. In between we will work casual jobs that we enjoy, like being an extra on tv shows. We currently live in Hexham, Northumberland but are keen to downsize and move further south near Newark to be close to our son, whose wife will be giving us our first grandchild later this year. Our other son lives Austin, TX and our daughter is in Newcastle Upon Tyne.
My Mayflower journey began when my British wife’s father passed away. She began digging into her family history wishing, like many of us, that she had asked a lot more questions of relatives before they passed on. She would be searching Ancestry nightly and one night asked to change her subscription to world wide and I would do mine as well. Once I began it wasn’t too long before I found the Mayflower connection, which is something my mother always suspected. However, she never proved or followed up on it so was pleased to have it confirmed before she passed away.
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Mayflower ancestor: White
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Contact: mayflower.smde.treasurer@gmail.com
Julie Wilson
Historian
Living in the Netherlands for 30 years, I have become to feel more “Dutch” than “American”. Finding my Mayflower roots strengthened my American identity. I was raised in Plymouth County, Massachusetts- Pilgrim country- unaware of my family background. My research turned up ancestors all over SE New England— freedom seekers and industrialists, founders of Rhode Island, patriots, scoundrels, outspoken types ousted from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and quite a few connections to Mayflower passengers. So, I am now of two nations, which can present challenges but is mostly a joy! As Historian I enjoy helping others on their own Mayflower journeys of discovery.
C.v.: BA Wellesley College, MS University of Washington in Physics. Product Management at Microsoft Corp. and Microsoft Ltd. (UK). Non-profit volunteer work.
Hobbies: genealogy, flute, gardening. Languages: English, Dutch
Mayflower ancestors: Alden / Mullins, Brewster, Brown, Doty, Howland / Tilley, Samson, Soule
Contact: mayflower.smde.historian@gmail.com
Marylin Griffith
Elder
In 2010, my husband and I retired from Northern California to the Provence region of southern France (1 hour north of Marseille). We chose this place because we wanted to travel frequently throughout Europe and wanted to become bi-lingual in French. We have succeeded in both, although we are continually working to perfect our French. No one in our village speaks English (including our doctor) which has allowed us to learn French more rapidly.
Prior to retiring, I was employed for 37 years, resolving mostly commercial liability insurance claims. I negotiated major liability claims for the home office, which included me traveling frequently to various states to meet face to face with the attorney for the person severely injured by our policyholder.
My great grandmother and her family moved from Plymouth, MA to Ashtabula, Ohio in the early 1800’s (which was known as the Connecticut Western Reserve ). All of my known Mayflower lines are traceable back to her. At first it didn’t seem believable to me, so I wanted to verify it, by joining the Mayflower Society. But I came to understand that her family had been in Plymouth, MA for two hundred years and it was logical that her ancestors had intermarried those in their community, which included other pilgrim families.
I have been the European chapter’s Elder, since the founding of the chapter in 2016. I recently volunteered to send greeting cards to members that are agreeable to receiving them for birthdays, special events and condolences. I am designing each one on my computer, desiring to make them special for the recipient. I sincerely hope each of you will sign-up with the chapter secretary, Donna Heys, to receive greetings from all your friends at the European chapter of the Society.
Mayflower ancestors: Brewster, Chilton, Cooke, Hopkins.
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Contact: mayflower.smde.elder@gmail.com
Nancy Naro
Member-at-Large
I am a retired historian of Latin American History, having conducted research in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where I was a university professor before moving to London in 1996.
I became involved with GSMD when asked if I would be interested in starting a chapter that would include GSMD members who were resident in Europe. The society chapter, Society of Mayflower Descendants in the UK and Europe was granted its charter in 2016 with twenty signatories who were residents in the UK, France, Portugal, Ireland and Italy, including enthusiastic GSMD members who were living Stateside.
Over the next few years, the fledgling society benefitted from the growing transatlantic interest in the Mayflower voyage of 1620 as private and governmental organisations in the US, the UK and the Netherlands organised glittering Four Hundred Year commemorative events. Many local sites in the US, UK and the Netherlands continue to attract visitors and Mayflower descendants to the locales, churches and museums that enrich and enliven the Mayflower experience.
Membership in the Society has expanded to 60 plus and the new website and zoom connections promise to broaden an already dynamic outreach agenda of lectures, gatherings and visits.
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Contact: mayflower.smde.MAL@gmail.com